Half to t



(No Model.)

M. G. COLLINS.

VAGINAL EXPANDING AND CLEANSING INSTRUMENT.

,969. Patented July 5, 1887.

INVENTOR:

WITNESSES:

N. PETERS. Fhntrrlilhogmphnr, Waslfinglan. 11c,

UNITED STATES "ArnNir rricn.

M. GRIER COLLINS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO T. HENN Y S\VEETING, GEORGE M. ROTH, AND THOMAS L. HICKS,

ALL OF, SAME PLACE.

VAGINAL EXPANDING AND CLEANSING INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 365,969, dated July 5, 1887.

Application filed November 1, 1886. Serial No. 217,680i (No model.) I

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, M. GRIER OoLLiNs, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Vaginal Expanding and Cleansing Instruments, which improvement is fully set forth in the following specification and accompanying drawings, in which-' Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a vaginal expanding and cleansing instrument embodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents a partial side elevation at a right angle to Fig. 1 and a partial longitudinal section, the instrument being expanded. Fig. 3 represents a front end View thereof. Fig. 4 represents a section in line a: m, Fig. 5. Figs. 5 and 6 represent sections of detached portions thereof, on enlarged scales, the coverings of the head of the instrument being removed.

Similar letters of reference indicate corre sponding parts in theseveral figures.

Myinvention consists-of an instrumenthaving a head which is adapted to be expanded g5 and contracted and simultaneously rotated,

whereby a vagina may be nicely cleansed by the same, as will be hereinafter set forth.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a rod, which is freely fitted within a tube or tubular shank, B, and formed with a spiral groove, 0, said rod having a thumb-piece, I), which passes through a longitudi nally-extending slot, E, and is secured to the said rod, whereby sliding motions may be imparted to 3 5 the latter. The tube 13 is provided with rings, eyes, or finger-pieces G, for the purpose of holding the instrument while the thumb is applied to the piece D.

At what may be termed the front end of the instrument is a head, H, the same being formed of arms J, of spring metal or other metal, secured at opposite ends to rotatable sleeves K L, respectively, the sleeve K encircling the end of the rod A and the sleeve L encircling the end of the tube B and adjacent portion of said rod A. The sleeve K is prevented from displacement from the rod by means of a nut, M, screwed to the end of the return.

rod, and a shoulder, N, formed thereon, said shoulder and nut being on opposite sides of the sleeve. The sleeve L is prevented from displacement from the tube B by means of a pin, P, which projects inwardly from the sleeve and freely enters a circumferential groove, Q, in the tube B. Projecting inwardly from the sleeve L is a pin, R, which freely enters the spiral groove 0 of the rod A. In the present case the sleeve L is formed of two ringsor bands, between which the ends of the arms J are held, the pin 1? being secured to the outer ring and the pin Rto the inner ring. The arms J are covered with sponge or any other suitable inaterial.

The operation'is as follows: The instrument being held by the pieces G and the thumb applied to the piece D, it is inserted into the vagina and the pressure of the thumb exerted on the piece D, whereby the rod A is drawn, thus moving the front ends of the arms J toward the other ends of said arms, thus bowing the arms and expanding the head, as shown in Fig. 2. Owing to the spiral groove 0 and pin It, the sliding motion of the rod .causes the sleeve L to rotate, and this carries the arms J and sleeve K with it, whereby the head is rotated. The piece D is then released or let go and the head contracts and returns to its normal position, rotating during such The rod may again be drawn out, so as to expand and rotate the head, and these operations may be continued aslong as desired, the action of the expanded and rotating head serving to press out the vagina in a gentle manner and effectually cleanse the same.

The instrument may be washed and the cov- 8 'erings of the arms J renewed as desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A vaginal cleansing instrument consisting of a slotted tubular shank, a spirallygrooved rod adapted to slide in said shank and provided with a thumb-piece projecting through theslotin said shank, and an expansible head secured at both ends to rotatable collars, the outer one of which rotates on the rod and the inner one rotates on both rod and tube, at opposite ends with the collars of the rod all substantially as and for the purpose set and tnbe respectively, substantially as de- 0 forth. scribed.

2. A spirallyrooved rod, acollar rotatable on said rod,.pro vided with two pins, one of GRIER COLLINS which enters a groove on the tube and the Witnesses: other enters the spiral groove of the rod, and JOHN A. \VIEDERSHEIM,

an expansible head whose ends are connected J AS. F. KELLY. 

